Elton John - Honky Chateau (1972) Album Score: 13

Elton John is a great man when he's on top of his game. If you don't agree with that statement, then you and I can never be friends. There is an incredibly unfortunate few songwriters who could write such catchy, memorable pop hooks... Not only that, but the guy could sing and play a mean pianer. Of course, you guys knew that already. But, in case you didn't know, Honky Chateau is an incredible pop album that's loaded to the brim with some of his most enduring melodies, and some of the most genuinely moving vocal performances that he has ever done.

I'm going to bring up “Rocket Man” now. I might just like it so much, because I'm a sci-fi geek, but ... hey, I'm reasonably sure I would like it even if I wasn't a sci-fi geek. What a fantastic song! The melody is so catchy and endearing, and John sounds so convicted in his performance that I can only barely resist the urge to sing along with him. (Naturally, I usually don't resist the urge at all.) It's one of his piano ballads, of course, and Taupin's heartfelt lyrics center around an astronaut who wants to be home again. I read that it was an answer-song to the Pearls Before Swine song of the same name, and that would make sense (those lyrics are about the family down on earth). But it's also a spiritual descendant of David Bowie's “Space Oddity,” which was about a spaceman who never wants to go back to Earth. Oddly enough, all three of these songs are some of the most gut-wrenching pieces of music they have ever done, respectively. It's a sort of great space trilogy!

And that's not all! There's “Honky Cat,” one of the most cheery, bubbly songs Elton John did without sounding cheesy. It takes quite remarkable taste to pull that off (something I wish he kept in mind for the '80s), but we'll enjoy it 100 percent while it's here. The song resembles a skiffle, and the melody is completely adorable. And then there's the tongue-in-cheek “I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself,” an ode to a teenager who craves attention. That has a Vaudevillian flavor, and it a remarkably fun tune to listen to despite the darkness suggested by the title.“Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters” is another incredibly serious ballad... Perhaps it's not as distinctive as “Rocket Man,” but the sentimental presentation of the lyrics makes it just about as heart-wrenching.

Perhaps the greatest testament to Honky Chateau's greatness is that there wasn't a song that scored anything less than an A- in the track reviews. Every single one of these are worth hearing. Though this wasn't exactly an 'even' album; the big hits are the ones that tend to stick out over the others. But let's look at the others! “Amy” is another one of Elton's cheerful, upbeat tunes that's just a blast to hear. It hardly measures up to “Honky Cat,” but it's still something that's perfect if you're looking for toe-tapping entertainment. “Hercules” is a nod to boogie-woogie piano music, and does a good job reminding us that Elton John does have a rock pedigree even though he is more well-known for the ballads.

“Salvation” is a good gospel-pop song, and it's very solid evidence that Elton John knew how to approach such a genre. (I don't know why, but I cringe whenever I read about a musician recording “gospel-pop.”) That's partly due to his powerful voice. More simply, though, “Salvation” works simply because it's a fantastic song! The mid-tempo rocker “Susie (Dramas)” is arguably one of the least distinctive song on the album, but you would hardly know that listening to it... The melody is still good, and Elton John's vocal performance is energetic and likable. I mean, if you have that, then what else do you want?

I can't express enough that Honky Chateau is one of rock's finest pop albums. Elton John is hereby given my stamp of approval for inflicting so much goodness onto this planet. Thank you.

TRACKS

Honky Cat A+

I don't think anyone wold dare threaten this song's status as one of the more cheerful songs ever to be recorded in the history of pop music! The beat is kept punchy with that gleeful banjo playing skiffle, Elton John's bouncy piano playing, and a horn section that lends the whole song some swing to it. The melody is so catchy that I'm fairly certain that it's instantly memorable (I guess I'm no good judge of that... I listened to this song 70-100 times probably and I can't remember what I was thinking the first time I heard it). Anyway, the melody is fantastic. I really adore the end of the song where those bubbly instrumentals get a tad maniacal. This whole thing is a treat.

Mellow A-

Not as instantly likable as the previous song, and I could almost understand that a few listeners might want to just repeat the previous song over and over again instead of progressing to this one. But it won't take much time to fall in love with this one, too. It's a more reserved ballad, and Elton John does genuinely sound like he believes what he sings. So, this is just another incredibly endearing tune. (And there's such a cool, rustic organ solo in the middle of it!)

I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself A+

Oh, that title might sound incredibly dark, but the second you put it on, you'll notice that it sounds even brighter and bubblier than even “Honky Cat.” I'd imagine the lyrics sound to me like a teenager musing that committing suicide would be a good way to get attention. The bulk of the song is a sort of Vaudevillian dance number, but there's also a really, really nice slower refrain brought up a few times. This is massively classic.

Susie (Dramas) A-

Whenever I think of Honky Chateau, this isn't one of the songs I remember. But it's still so good! I guess that's the magic of this album. It's just distinguishing between the great songs and the CLASSIC songs. This one is pretty typical of Elton John's already established style. It's a mid-tempo piano rocker with a solid melody and an energetic vocal performance. It's no “Rocket Man,” but you still couldn't hope for anything finer.

Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be a Long Time) A+

Easily, this is one of the finest songs ever written. (There, do you have an idea of what I think about it?) It's also one of the only songs that Kate Bush ever made a studio-produced cover of, so there's some more distinctiveness for you. I'm assuming that everybody knows this by heart, but just in case... It's a sci-fi ballad about a spaceman who misses Earth. It's the polar opposite of David Bowie's “Space Oddity,” which was about a spaceman who wants to leave earth forever. (Of course, Elton John would be the one who's more optimistic about the human race!) The melody is fantastic, and John's vocal performance is utterly soaring. It's so touching that it brings a tear to the eyes. Enough said? (If you're a complete nerd and you want to complete the trilogy, you should also scout out the psychedelic folk anthem “Rocket Man” by Pearls of Swine. It's a gorgeous, gut-wrenching song about the family that the spaceman left behind. It was reportedly Elton John's and Bernie Taupin's main inspiration.)

Salvation A-

This is a little better than the two other A- songs I scored so far, but the melody isn't quite splendid enough to push it to the higher level. (But this is still a damn good melody!) This is another one of Elton John's attempts at gospel-pop, and this is head-over-heels better than similar songs he wrote for Elton John. Once again, there's tons of soul in that vocal performance, which is practically all you need for a song like this to work.

Slave A

This is a really charming piece of folk pop. There isn't any piano (or at least any piano that I can pick up), there's just acoustic guitar, some banjos and well-arranged slide guitar. Elton John gives a sort of country-western vocal performance, delivering a vocal melody that is catchy and charming as ever. This guy was utterly on top of his game!

Amy A

This is another one of his cheerful, upbeat pop numbers with another one of his ultra-catchy melodies. It's fairly similar to “Honky Cat,” except without the skiffle sound. Could you even ask for anything more than this? The distinguishing feature of this song is that rather demented sounding violin threaded all throughout this track. ...Really odd, but cool.

Mona Lisa and the Mad Hatters A+

This is one of those sorts of songs that can move you without knowing what's contained in the lyrics. I can't say I ever knew for sure what this song was about, but the sentimental melody and vocal delivery has that remarkable ability to hit me right there in my chest cavity. This just goes to show why Elton John was always best known for his ballads (despite having a heavy rock 'n' roll pedigree).

Hercules A

And Elton John shows us just what the type of rocker he is, lest we forget, for the final track of the album. This is a mid-tempo piano-boogie with plenty of verve and incredibly solid hooks to boot. It's also terribly fun to listen to, so this is the sort of song that pretty much anyone can enjoy. So, enjoy!

BONUS TRACK:

Slave (Alternate Version) B

This is a rock 'n' roll version of that charming folk-pop ditty that I praised. The drums are weird, and fast paced. It was like glam-rock before it was popular. Yeah... the album version is a lot better.